United only club to bid for Shaw

Manchester United are the only club to have submitted an official bid to sign Southampton left-back Luke Shaw, a source has told ESPN, despite reports that Chelsea are attempting to hijack the transfer.

Southampton have only held talks over Shaw, 18, with United, whose £27 million offer, which has been on the table for some time, is still under discussion.

Ashley Cole's departure from Chelsea sparked rumours they would launch a rival bid for the England international, but an offer has yet to materialise.

BBC Sport reported that United and Southampton were due to stage another round of talks over Shaw's future on Friday, with a move to Old Trafford said to be imminent for the defender, who will fly to Miami with the England squad on Sunday ahead of the World Cup.

ESPN reported in January that United had submitted a bid to sign Shaw, but that offer was knocked back after Southampton chose not to consider the sale of any of their star players midway through the season.

United made Southampton aware that their interest in Shaw remained firm in the months that followed their initial enquiry, with talks then taking place after the Premier League match between the two sides at St Mary's on May 11.

News that Rickie Lambert is on the brink of a £4 million move to Liverpool has done little to lift the gloom, while Southampton officials were hoping to avoid a flurry of transfer activity with the club's season-ticket renewal date passing on May 30.

Southampton chairman Ralph Krueger, however, has tried to calm the tension among the club's supporters.

He told the Southern Daily Echo: "It's very clear that we are in control of all the player transfers. All the top players are under long-term contracts.

"Any transfers that take place will be under our terms. We will decide the terms to potential transfers in and out of the club."

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